No. To be eligible for the Visa Lottery you must be born in a country that does not already contribute a significant number of immigrants through other programs, e.g. family-related or based on work. (There are only two exceptions to this rule.) Your current citizenship is not important.

This year (DV-2020) people born in the following countries could NOT participate: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born)*, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and dependent territories, Vietnam. *People born in HongKong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible to participate.

I entered DV-2019. How will I know if I am a winner ?

By doing the Entrant Status Check to see if you were selected. Go to dvlottery.state.gov You will need your Entrant Confirmation Number. If you lost the number you can retrieve it on the eDV site. Go to Entrant Status Check, click on the blue line of text and submit your information.

If you entered the 2020 Visa Lottery you must wait till next year (2019) to see if you won. Entrant Status Check for DV-2020 becomes possible on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.

I received an email inviting me to enter the 2021 Visa Lottery.

The US Government does NOT license businesses to offer Visa Lottery services. Using a commercial agency does not give you a better chance to get a Green Card.

Why was this year’s Diversity Visa Lottery called DV-2020 ?

Because the visas are officially issued in (US fiscal year) 2020. The Entry Period for the 2020 program is this year (2018), the winners will be announced next year (2019).

If I win do I get a Green Card right-away ?

No. You win a chance to apply for a Green Card. You must submit a Visa Application and successfully complete the Visa Procedure that follows. After you arrive in the US your Immigrant Visa becomes Green Card.

If I win can I bring my spouse and my children ?

Yes. Your spouse can also submit a Visa Application. You can bring a child/children if they are unmarried and still under 21 years of age (when the visa is issued).Nota Bene. On your Entry Form you must give the names of any unmarried child that is under 21 years of age on the date that you submit your entry. You must also give the name of your spouse even when you are separated or in divorce proceedings.

I got a phone call that I won ! I received email I that was selected ! I was sent a letter that a relative had won !

The US Department of State (DOS) does not call people to let them know they won in the Visa Lottery. It does not send letters or emails to inform Entrants that they are Winners. It does not contact relatives of Selected Entrants. Any such email, letter, phone call is a scam. DOS does not publish lists of Visa Lottery winners.

Any person or business can show a seal or a stamp that looks like the ones the US government uses.